Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Main stage - Saturday afternoon - Taslima Nasreen

Taslima Nasreen was the next up on the Main Stage on Saturday afternoon at the Dodge Poetry Festival . She is on political exile from Bangladesh as a result of her views on women's rights. She is stern and speaks deliberately. She must miss being with her family. She does not agree with the view that a woman's destiny is determined successively by her father, her husband, and her son.

After she made her opening statement the audience, almost a full tent, was silent. There was not a sound. Not even the cricket from the other evening broke the silence.

She paused a moment then went on to announce a poem to read.

"The commodity"

"Run, run"

"Happy marriage"

"Woman breaking bricks"

"Poem of Sabitha" "it is for the well being of others that people write poetry"